Countryside Alliance demands 'rural reset' over 27 policies

The Countryside Alliance is calling for a “rural reset” with government after identifying 27 policies it says have hit farmers, rural businesses and countryside communities since 2024.

The organisation has announced a new Campaign for the Countryside, which will be formally launched at Westminster on 14 September. Former NFU president and crossbench peer Minette Batters is among the headline speakers.

The event will bring together politicians and representatives from farming, rural businesses, horseracing, greyhound racing, shooting, hunting and angling.

Among the measures being targeted are inheritance tax changes affecting family farms, the closure of SFI24, higher National Insurance costs, rising wage bills and growing competition for agricultural land.

The Alliance has also highlighted firearms licensing fees, betting affordability checks, proposals affecting trail hunting and game shooting, and changes to the tax treatment of double-cab pickups.

It argues that the range of measures introduced or proposed over the past two years has left many rural communities feeling overlooked by government. The organisation says the countryside contributes more than £300 billion a year to the economy and supports more than four million jobs, while also playing a central role in food security.

Farming is a major focus of the campaign, particularly changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief.

Under the measures highlighted by the Alliance, 100% relief applies to the first £2.5 million of combined agricultural and business assets, rising to £5m for married couples and civil partners. Assets above that threshold receive 50% relief, potentially exposing the remaining value to an effective inheritance tax rate of 20%.

The Alliance also criticised the abrupt closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2024 scheme to new applicants in March 2025, saying it left thousands of farmers uncertain about future support before a limited reopening followed after NFU legal pressure.

Labour costs are another area of concern, with employer National Insurance rising from 13.8% to 15% in April 2026 and the payment threshold falling from £9,100 to £5,000.

The National Living Wage also increased to £12.71 an hour, with the Alliance warning that wider employment reforms could add further costs for farms and rural businesses reliant on seasonal labour.

Pressure on agricultural land also features prominently in the campaign. The Alliance pointed to the Land Use Framework, which proposes directing around 15% of currently farmed acreage towards environmental, energy and development uses.

It also raised concerns over planning reforms, the expansion of solar and onshore wind, and faster development of electricity infrastructure, which it says could increase competition for farmland.

Changes to the tax treatment of double-cab pickups are another measure criticised by the organisation, with the vehicles now treated as cars rather than commercial vans for tax purposes. The Alliance says this could increase costs for farmers and other rural businesses that rely on them for day-to-day work.

The campaign is being promoted alongside a video showing livestock, farmers, pheasants, hounds and racehorses taking over 10 Downing Street.

Countryside Alliance chief executive Tim Bonner said: “The timing of this campaign and event is significant. After two years where an unprecedented range of government policies have left rural people feeling under attack, a new Prime Minister provides an opportunity for the government to reset its relationship with rural Britain and recognise the contribution the countryside can make to the whole country.”

He said rural communities were not asking ministers to resolve every issue immediately, but wanted greater recognition of their concerns.

“Rural people are not asking government to solve every problem overnight. They are asking to be heard, understood and treated fairly,” Mr Bonner said.

He added: “It is time to treat the countryside as part of the solution to a united Britain, not a problem or an afterthought. We are asking the government to work with rural communities, not against them. Now is the time for a rural reset.”

The campaign will formally launch in Westminster on 14 September, with the Alliance seeking a change in how future policies affecting farming and rural communities are developed.